A carousel atop a fluffy, pink canoe is commonplace for artists Einar and Jamex de la Torre, who created the "Meso-Americhanics" exhibit at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
"The title is actually a mash-up of words," said Richard Garcia, admissions clerk at the center. "'Meso-Americhanics' has 'Meso-American,' where (the de la Torre brothers) have their roots at, and 'mechanics': how they change themselves and how they are able to define to themselves as mechanics."
The exhibit runs through Feb. 22 and is open Tuesday through Sunday.
Tey Marianna Nunn, art director at the center, said the exhibit stands out because the de la Torre brothers take a contemporary stance on issues such as immigration.
"They turn everything on its head in terms of the questions they are asking through their work, using religious imagery to think more critically about religion and getting used to thinking more critically about politics," she said. "They have a really interesting perspective being artists who are situated on the border."
Cheech Marin and Elton John are among the de la Torre brothers' collectors, Garcia said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Their pieces contain some glasswork, and most contain mixed media such as beans, cast resin, bottle caps, dice, dominos, TVs and even a rotating disco ball with strobe lights. The collection mixes symbols from
Catholicism, Aztec traditions and American and Mexican culture in pieces such as "Snakes and Ladders" and "What Really Happened."
One piece, "La Belle Epoch," represents sacrificial ritual in Aztec culture, and its giant, spinning Ferris wheel represents the Aztec calendar. The wheel carries pictures of Mexican and American advertisements, like Coca-Cola, and there are glass hearts that rotate along the outside of the wheel.
Also noteworthy is "Colonial Atmosphere," a large moon lander with an Olmec face surrounded by old tires and the occasional silver snake. The piece takes on the theory that the Olmecs of South America could not have created their colossal works without the aid of extraterrestrials, according to the brothers.
"The dualism comes from knowing one thing and then coming to the states and having that same idea pushed to them in a different aspect," Garcia said.
The de la Torre brothers are enthusiastic about mixing cultural elements, such as in the piece "Eastern Promises," which features elements from Japanese culture.
"The brothers do believe in some melding of ideas, but the melding of ideas comes from where your culture comes from," Garcia said. "You push your own thoughts into it. They are trying to prove to you that you can push yourself to have one idea when in fact it was another original idea that came a different way."
'Meso-Americhanics'
Tuesday-Sunday
National Hispanic Cultural Center
Through Feb. 22
For more info, visit Nhccnm.org
